The consultants claimed to use appropriate methods to learn from and share knowledge with farmers. However, farmers do not believe that the advisors use any methods to promote knowledge sharing and learning.
Introduction and overview
- Introduction
- The need for the research
- The problem statement
- The research objective
- Sub-objectives
- Clarification of terms related to this research
- Description of concepts
- Knowledge management
- Learning in organisations
- Agricultural extension
- Research design and methodology
- Limitations
- Procedure during this research
- Sequence of chapters
- Summary
A community garden was chosen for the study because most extension workers work on community garden projects. The next chapter describes the literature on knowledge management and the extension models used by extension practitioners.
Literature Review
Introduction
Knowledge management
- Defining knowledge management
- The knowledge value chain
- Knowledge classification: Explicit knowledge and tacit knowledge
- Knowledge management processes and outcomes
- Knowledge management models
- Outcomes of knowledge management
- Key drivers of knowledge management
- Summary of knowledge management
Nonaka's knowledge management model depicts that knowledge consists of tacit and explicit knowledge (Nonaka and Takeuchi 1995). Consequently, the customers of an organization can also benefit from the organization's knowledge management system.
Learning
- Learning organisations
- Development of learning organisations
- Learning process in learning organisations
- Summary of learning
Learning is an important aspect for the creation of new knowledge and is a vital tool that contributes to knowledge management. For any organization to implement knowledge management techniques, it must have the initiation of learning taking place within its boundaries.
Agricultural extension
- Agricultural extension services
- Extension models
The provision of agricultural extension services to farmers largely depends on the capabilities of the extension workers. Extension workers must take note of the indigenous knowledge that farmers have and incorporate it into their work, as farmers are at the heart of the AKIS model. Extension workers must have certain approaches and methods that will enable the effective delivery of technology (Dexter 1986:121; Röling 1995b; Sulaiman and Hall 2001).
The approach to be applied by counselors for this model is the training-and-visit approach. Monitoring, evaluation and accountability – the criteria for monitoring and evaluation should include as much evidence as possible. The learning model (below) is one such model where learning between farmers and extension workers is encouraged.
Summary
50 Thus, knowledge management becomes a crucial aspect for all extension organizations, as it has great benefits that can accrue to organizations and farmers. Through knowledge management, extension organizations may be able to fully realize their purpose and have a major impact on farmers' livelihoods and the economy of most developing countries. Knowledge management and learning are vital components that must exist within an agricultural extension organization to ensure that the organization is able to provide adequate services to farmers.
The dynamic environment requires that knowledge management be implemented within the organization and also that the organizations become learning organizations. The success of these initiatives mostly depends on the organization's norms and culture, the employees and the customers of the organization. The newly created knowledge will enable the organization to have the competitive advantage for survival.
RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY
- Introduction
- Research setting
- Research design
- Research participants
- Data collection methods
- Data analysis
- Validity
- Ethical considerations
- Informed consent
- Confidentiality
- Nonmaleficence
- Summary
Observations allowed the researcher to become familiar with the work that the extension workers do with the farmers. The researcher collected reports that extension workers write about each of their visits to farmers from the extension workers' supervisor. This information was used to formulate some of the questions that the researcher included in the semi-structured questionnaire for the extenders, their supervisor and for the focus group discussion with the extenders.
The semi-structured interviews held with the supervisor were guided by the extension workers' responses to the questions. The themes in the interview schedule for the farmers were guided by the sub-objectives and the responses from the audience and their supervisor in the semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions. Semi-structured interviews with the farmers were also used to verify the data obtained from the extension workers.
ANALYSIS OF FINDINGS
Introduction
Demographics
- Extension workers
- Farmers
Each of the three male extension workers had worked in the department for 15 years. The four female extension workers who participated in this research ranged in age from 37 to 40 years old. Both male and female extension workers worked well with farmers, whether male or female.
In this case, the extension supervisor was male and had a national agricultural diploma. The demographic data shows that all extension workers and their supervisor have the same qualifications, namely a national agricultural diploma. Farmers were not the focus of this study, even though they participated to confirm the extension workers' data.
Categories and themes developed for the discussion of the findings
Since 2008, the farmers have all been part of the same community garden group in the Imphendle community. Interviews with the farmers revealed that the farming community garden started as a government initiative to provide food to community garden members. The farmers said that they grow maize and beans in their communal garden for consumption, and that the surplus is sold by extension workers on their behalf as a source of income.
Organizational procedures followed by extension workers when conducting knowledge management meetings. Explore how knowledge sharing between extension workers and farmers involved in community gardening is managed by extension workers. Explore how extension workers integrate knowledge gained from community gardeners into their practices.
The extension workers methods of knowledge sharing among themselves within the
- Asking colleagues for assistance
- Asking supervisor for assistance
- Discussing issues in meetings
- Recording the minutes of the meetings
- Summary of the extension workers’ methods of knowledge sharing among
The statements show that extension workers are free to ask other extension workers for help. Through the discussions, employees can get advice on problems that they may have. The extension workers described the meetings they have as a place where they are able to share ideas with each other.
At the meetings, the local employees are able to get help with problem questions from other employees. The extension workers are able to use the saved minutes from previous meetings to clarify questions. Most of the extension workers agreed with the methods identified in the results.
The extension models/approaches used by the extension workers to share knowledge with
- Methods used by the extension workers to advise farmers
- Farmers’ response to advisory model
- Method used by extension workers for transferring technical knowledge to the
Farmers can ask consultants to come and advise them on how to solve their problem. Also, there is no teamwork between the advisors and farmers to enable farmers to participate and learn. Consultants can seek the help of other stakeholders to come and help the farmers.
Two farmers have agreed with the consultants to hold presentations that the farmers attend. The following statements show that some farmers do not agree with the advisors. It is evident that all the farmers agreed that the consultants do not involve them in any decision-making.
Integration of farmers’ knowledge gained from the community gardeners into extension
- Sharing with other extension workers knowledge from farmers’ knowledge with
- Accepting farmers’ knowledge
- The farmers’ responses regarding whether the extension workers accept their
- Summary of integration of farmers’ knowledge by extension workers into their
The third statement shows that the extension workers are aware of the importance of the farmers' knowledge. All the farmers mention that the extension workers and their organization do not take into account the knowledge that the farmers share with them. The extension workers did not pay attention to the knowledge that the farmers shared with them.
Extension workers do not use any knowledge management practices with farmers. This is not evident from the responses of farmers, who indicated that extension workers do not integrate farmers' knowledge into their practices. This also shows that there is no learning between farmers and extension workers.
Summary
Although there is no evidence of the extension workers actually capturing the farmers' knowledge and sharing it with other farmers, the extension workers seem to know what to do with the farmers' knowledge, but do not engage in knowledge management practices. In the third statement, the extension worker illustrates that farmers' knowledge is important and that it should be captured, but there is no evidence that extension workers capture farmers' knowledge and that they actually use it in their extension practices. The extension workers and their organizations do not take into account the knowledge that farmers share with them, which implies that the extension workers do not apply adequate knowledge management practices.
This shows that extension workers do not have adequate knowledge management practices as participation and sharing of knowledge is not encouraged. The extension organization also did not seem to do much to encourage knowledge management practices between the extension workers and the farmers. The inadequate knowledge management practices and use of the linear model by extension workers indicate that there is no knowledge sharing and no integration of farmers' knowledge with their (extension) practices.
Synthesis, Conclusion and Recommendations
Introduction
Summary of key findings
- Explore how extension workers manage knowledge within the department of
- Explore how the knowledge shared between extension workers and community
- The integration of farmers’ knowledge by extension workers into their knowledge
There was no evidence that consultants had referred to previous reports to find them. There was no evidence that advisors promote collaboration and learning together with farmers (subsection 4.4). Knowledge shared informally between advisors and farmers is not recorded and stored.
There is no evidence that extension workers encouraged farmers to participate and make decisions (subsection 4.5). There is a need for a partnership between farmers and extension workers as well as other stakeholders. There was no evidence that extension workers work together with farmers in exchanging ideas (subsection 4.6.3.).
Conclusion
Recommendations
- Recommendation for practice
- Recommendations for further research
102 There is a need for continuous evaluation of the effectiveness of the extension approaches used by extension workers to determine whether they encourage knowledge sharing and learning between farmers and extension workers. The extension organization should encourage a culture of unlearning old practices that may no longer be applicable in their line of work. The organization must always be aware of any developments in the field of extension and must always strive to make new developments available to the extension workers which will encourage effective knowledge management practices within the organization as well as among the farmers.
Developing a knowledge management model for extension organizations that will take into account the needs of agricultural extension stakeholders.
Conclusion
Do you work with an assistant or do you work on your own with the farmers. Do you take the farmers' experience and knowledge into account in your work with the farmers. Do you think sharing knowledge with the guidance officers can help solve some of your problems.
In your meetings, do you share such experiences that you have seen how farmers do things with the other extension workers.
